| March 2nd, 2016

FSU Plans to Build a School for Entrepreneurship 

By: journeymagazine

By: Leah Wilson

In efforts to birth more business owners, Florida State University recently received a $100 million donation from the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship.  This donation will be used to create the FSU School of Entrepreneurship.  The purpose of the donation is to expand outreach and support services provided by the Jim Moran Institute.  The details and components of the project were discussed at the City Commissioners meeting on Feb. 24.

Eighty percent of the donation from the institute will be used locally to benefit student programs and initiatives within the community.

Director of The Jim Moran Institute’s North Florida Outreach Division, Mike Campbell expressed the benefits of the school, saying that the School of Entrepreneurship will be a “resource pool for all the extracurricular activities that are off campus.”

The School of Entrepreneurship will ensure cross campus branding in hopes of involving the community.  Initiatives such as Mentor Nights will be held in student housing facilities which will allow students to learn in an environment comfortable for them.

The Jim Moran Institute has already impacted high schools through the Junior Achievement Entrepreneurship Program. This program introduces students to the essential elements of a practical business plan and then challenges them to start an entrepreneurial venture while still in high school. The Jim Moran Institute has already provided funds for over 1500 high school students.  

In addition to reaching out to high school students, the school will have entrepreneurship bootcamps for Veterans as well.

“The school is going to allow us to remove a lot of political barriers that hinder the growth of entrepreneurship on the campus of FSU,” said Susan Fiorito, the founding director of the School of Entrepreneurship in reference to diversity of majors on campus.

To appeal to freshmen, FSU will have a Living Learning Community for students that are eligible. A Living Learning Community is a dormitory for students in the same disciplines to live in the same area.

The studies provided by the school will be interdisciplinary. The Colleges of Law, Medicine and Social Sciences are expected to participate. Upon application, the FSU School of Entrepreneurship will be the first in the state of Florida to have a degree for entrepreneurship; a Bachelor’s of Arts and a Bachelor’s of Science degree.

The expected soft launch of the school is expected to take place Fall 2017.  The formal launch is planned for August 2018, which would have been the 100th birthday of Moran.  

In the words of the founder of the institute, “The future belongs to those who prepare for it.”  The Jim Moran institute aims to serve the needs of students, existing small businesses, and leaders of nonprofit organizations within Broward County, Palm Beach, Duval County and Leon county.